Publicly readable blockchain registry of personally identifiable information breaches

ABSTRACT

A registry is utilized to identify personally identifiable information (PII) that has been breached. The registry is a distributed database shared by multiple organizations to track which PII has been breached in other organizations. A first service provider initially receives PII and corresponding signed descriptor from a user. The PII is used to verify an identity of the user and the signed descriptor describes the type of PII that is received. The first service provider queries the registry to determine if the signed descriptor of the user has been written to the registry by a second service provider, indicating that it has been breached at a service provided by the second service provider. If the first service provider uses the breached PII, the breached PII is invalidated by the first service provider.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is related to commonly assigned U.S. patent applicationentitled “Password Breach Registry” (Attorney DocketAU20160277US1/CATN.255710), filed concurrently herewith on the samedate.

BACKGROUND

The vast majority of websites and applications accessible via theInternet or a mobile device offer some sort of sign in or sign upfunctionality. This functionality enables a user of a particular websiteor application to create an account or access the account associatedwith the respective service provided by the website or application.Personally identifiable information (PII) is often used by organizationsto authenticate a user's identity. For example, PII may includeinformation such as full names, home address, social security numbers,date of birth, and biometrics, as well as non-public information (e.g.,mother's maiden name). Organizations typically store PII associated withthe user accounts in some variety of database or directory. As theincreasing rate of data breaches provide constant reminders, thesedatabases or directories can be accessed by malicious actors exposingthe users to identity theft and fraud.

To add to this problem, users often reuse the same PII on multiplewebsites or applications. This creates a security issue where a breachin one organization may enable a malicious actor to compromise accountsat other organizations. For example, using breached PII, maliciousactors recently stole tax refunds from approximately 104,000 people.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor should it be usedas an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to utilizing a registry toidentify PII that has been breached. The registry is a distributeddatabase shared by multiple organizations as a means of tracking whichPII has been breached in other organizations. A first service providerinitially receives PII and corresponding signed descriptor from a user.While the PII is used by the first service provider to verify anidentity of the user, the signed descriptor describes the type of PII(e.g., fingerprint, mother's maiden name, birth date, etc.) that isreceived. The first service provider can query the registry to determineif the signed descriptor of the user has been written to the registry bya second service provider, indicating that it has been breached at aservice provided by the second service provider. If the first serviceprovider uses the breached PII, the breached PII is invalidated by thefirst service provider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described in detail below with reference tothe attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a PII registry system for utilizing aPII blockchain registry to identify PII that has been breached, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing an exemplary PII registry that can beutilized to prevent a breach at a second site after a first site hasbeen breached, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a method for invalidating PII that hasbeen breached, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method for utilizing a PII blockchainregistry to identify PII that has been breached, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitablefor use in implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of the present disclosure is described withspecificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, thedescription itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent.Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject mattermight also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps orcombinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, inconjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover,although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connotedifferent elements of methods employed, the terms should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individualsteps is explicitly described. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise.

As noted in the background, PII is often used by organizations toauthenticate a user's identity. For example, PII may include informationsuch as full name, home address, social security number, date of birth,biometrics, or mother's maiden name. The PII is typically stored byorganizations in some variety of database or directory. As the rate ofdata breaches increases, these databases or directories can be accessedby malicious actors exposing the users to identity theft and fraud.Because users often use the same PII for multiple accounts provided bymultiple providers, a breach in one organization may enable a maliciousactor to compromise accounts at other organizations.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed toutilizing a registry to identify PII that has been breached. In thisway, users are protected from malicious actors that have stolen PII froma breached service by preventing the malicious actors from using thestolen PII to commit identity theft and fraud. Signed descriptors thatidentify the type of PII that has been compromised (without revealingthe content of the PII) are published to the registry by the breachedservice provider. The registry is a distributed database shared bymultiple organizations as a means of tracking which PII has beenbreached in other organizations. For example, the registry may be ablockchain-like format which, as explained in more detail below,prevents tampering and revision. A provider may periodically query theregistry to determine if the signed descriptor of the user has beenwritten to the registry by a second service provider. If the firstservice provider uses the breached PII, the breached PII is invalidatedby the first service provider.

For example, assume a user signs up for both GMAIL and EBAY accounts andhappens to use the PII on both sites. If an attacker is able tocompromise a service provided by EBAY and steal EBAY PII, the attackermay be able to access the GMAIL account. To prevent additional attacks,when EBAY discovers the breach, EBAY can publish signed descriptors forPII that was potentially breached. If GMAIL is monitoring the registry,GMAIL is able to determine which PII was breached and take steps to denyan attacker any access using the breached PII.

To make public the fact that PII has been breached, without releasingany information which reveals the actual PII to the general public, EBAYmay publish signed descriptors that describe PII thought to have beencompromised. As a subscriber to the registry, GMAIL searches for anysigned descriptors which match signed descriptors in its own repository.GMAIL may then automatically deny access using the corresponding PII andforce the affected users to provide new PII. In embodiments, theseproactive measures may be accomplished via email, SMS, in-person, andthe like.

Accordingly, one embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to anon-transitory computer storage medium storing computer-useableinstructions that, when used by a computing device, causes the computingdevice to perform operations to facilitate invalidating PII that hasbeen breached. The operations comprise receiving, at a first serviceprovider, PII and corresponding signed descriptor from a user. The PIIis used by the first service provider to verify an identity of the user.The operations also comprise querying a synchronized blockchain registryto determine if the PII of the user has been breached. The synchronizedblockchain registry includes signed descriptors for a plurality of usersfrom a plurality of service providers indicating PII that has beenbreached via services offered by the plurality of service providers. Theoperations further comprise, upon determining the PII of the user hasbeen breached, invalidating the PII for the user.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to acomputer-implemented method to facilitate utilizing a PII blockchainregistry to identify PII that has been breached. The method comprisessubscribing, by a service provider, to a publicly available blockchainregistry. The publicly available blockchain registry includes signeddescriptors for a plurality of users from a plurality of serviceproviders. A synchronized blockchain registry is synchronized with thepublicly available blockchain registry. The synchronizing updates thesynchronized blockchain registry to include updates provided by theplurality of service providers to the publicly available blockchainregistry. The updates identify signed descriptors for the plurality ofusers indicating the PII corresponding to the signed descriptors thathas been breached for the plurality of users.

In yet another embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to acomputerized system for facilitating utilizing a password breachregistry to secure a service. The system includes a processor and acomputer storage medium storing computer-useable instructions that, whenused by the processor, cause the processor to subscribe, by a serviceprovider, to a publicly available blockchain registry. The publiclyavailable blockchain registry includes signed descriptors for aplurality of users from a plurality of service providers. A synchronizedblockchain registry is synchronized with the publicly availableblockchain registry to update the synchronized blockchain registry toinclude updates provided by the plurality of service providers to thepublicly available blockchain registry. The updates identify signeddescriptors for the plurality of users indicating the PII correspondingto the signed descriptors that has been breached for the plurality ofusers. The synchronized blockchain registry can be queried to determineif PII for a user of the service provider has been breached. Upondetermining PII for a user has been breached, the user is requested toprovide new PII and corresponding signed descriptors.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is provided that illustrates aPII registry system 100 for utilizing a PII registry to identify PIIthat has been breached, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. It should be understood that this and other arrangementsdescribed herein are set forth only as examples. Other arrangements andelements (e.g., machines, interfaces, functions, orders, and groupingsof functions, etc.) can be used in addition to or instead of thoseshown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. Further, many of theelements described herein are functional entities that may beimplemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction withother components, and in any suitable combination and location. Variousfunctions described herein as being performed by one or more entitiesmay be carried out by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For instance,various functions may be carried out by a processor executinginstructions stored in memory. The PII registry system 100 may beimplemented via any type of computing device, such as computing device500 described below with reference to FIG. 5, for example. In variousembodiments, the PII registry system 100 may be implemented via a singledevice or multiple devices cooperating in a distributed environment.

The PII registry system 100 generally operates to provide a PII registrythat enables subscribers to query the PII registry and identify when PIIof users may have been breached at other services. As shown in FIG. 1,the PII registry system 100 includes, among other components not shown,user devices 102A-102N, a public PII registry 106, service providers108A-108N, and synchronized PII registries 110A-110N. It should beunderstood that the PII registry system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is anexample of one suitable computing system architecture. Each of thecomponents shown in FIG. 1 may be implemented via any type of computingdevice, such as computing device 500 described with reference to FIG. 5,for example.

The components may communicate with each other via a network 104, whichmay include, without limitation, one or more local area networks (LANs)and/or wide area networks (WANs). Such networking environments arecommonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets,and the Internet. It should be understood that any number of userdevices, password breach registries, and service providers may beemployed within the PII registry system 100 within the scope of thepresent disclosure. Each may comprise a single device or multipledevices cooperating in a distributed environment. For instance, the PIIregistry 106 may be provided via multiple devices arranged in adistributed environment that collectively provide the functionalitydescribed herein. Additionally, other components not shown may also beincluded within the network environment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the PII registry system 100 includes a PII registry106. While only a single PII registry 106 is shown in FIG. 1, it shouldbe understood that the PII registry system 100 may employ any number ofPII registries. The service providers 108A-108N may publish signeddescriptors corresponding to breached PII to the PII registry 106 toprevent malicious actors from committing identify theft or fraud byutilizing the breached PII.

In embodiments, the PII registry 106 is in a blockchain-like format thatprevents tampering and revision. The blockchain-like format provides apublicly accessible distributed database that maintains a continuouslygrowing list of data blocks. Each data block contains time-stampedbatches of transactions and a hash of the prior block. This enables theblocks to be linked together to form a chain. The transactions are thecontent (e.g., signed descriptors) that is stored in the PII registry106 and are provided via service providers 108A-108N or user devices102A-102N. A service provider 108A-108N or user device 102A-102N is ableto connect to the MI registry 106 via the network 104, send newtransactions to it, verify transactions, create new blocks, andsynchronize with a local copy of the PII registry (e.g., thesynchronized PII registries 110A-110N).

Each service provider 108A-108N or user device 102A-102N can maintain alocal copy of the PII registry (e.g., the synchronized PII registries110A-110N). Transactions may be provided to the synchronized PIIregistries 110A-110N and broadcast to the PII registry 106. Each serviceprovider 108A-108N having a synchronized PII registry 110A-110N mayreceive the broadcasted transactions. Accordingly, there is no need tohave a centralized database managed by a trusted third party.Transactions can be broadcast to the network using softwareapplications. As a service provider validates transactions, thetransactions are added to the local copy and broadcast to other serviceproviders. Alternatively, each service provider 108A-108N having asynchronized PII registry 110A-110N may periodically or on an ad hocbasis synchronize with the PII registry 106.

The synchronized PII registry 110A-110N can be queried periodically oron an ad hoc basis to determine whether any signed descriptors match asigned descriptor that corresponds to PII of a user of a serviceprovided by service provider(s) 108A-108N. Querying only thesynchronized PII registry 110A-110N enables the service provider(s)108A-108N or user device(s) 102A-102N to maintain privacy over thequeries that might otherwise reveal what PII the service provider oruser utilizes if the queries were instead run against the PII registry106.

In embodiments, the PII registry system 100 enables each subscribingservice provider 108A-108N to query the latest version of the passwordbreach registry, even though a breached service provider may publishsigned descriptors to the synchronized PII registry 110A-110N, which maythen be broadcast to the PII registry 106. A subscribing serviceprovider 108A-108N may determine, with reasonable certainty, whether atransaction (i.e., a signed descriptor corresponding to a user of thesubscribing service provider) does or does not exist in the data setwhich enables the service provider to readily identify whether any usersof its service utilize PII that has been breached at a service providedby another service provider.

Further, because of the blockchain-like format, there is a prohibitivelyhigh cost to attempt to rewrite or alter transaction history. Thisprevents a malicious actor from modifying or removing signed descriptorsthat have already been written to the PII registry 106. For example, ifa signed descriptor has been written to the PII registry 106 indicatinga user of a service has had its PII stolen, a malicious actor cannotsimply modify or remove the signed descriptor. Rather, since it hasalready published to the blockchain, other service providers are able totake steps to protect services they provide that the user accesses withthe same PII.

For clarity, a signed descriptor is a standardized description thatdescribes the type of PII that has been received and/or breached. Forexample, the signed descriptor for PII that is the user's mother'smaiden name might be “Mother's Maiden Name.” In another example, thesigned descriptor for PII that is the user's fingerprint might be“Fingerprint.” In yet another example, the signed descriptor for PIIthat is the user's birth date might be “Birth Date.” In this way, if PIIhas been leaked, the breached service provider publishes the signeddescriptor to the PII registry 106 and the actual PII that has beenbreached is not revealed to the public. This allows other serviceproviders to prevent the affected user(s) from utilizing the breachedPII at other services and also prevents malicious actors from committingidentity theft and fraud at those services.

In embodiments, users have a public and private key pair. When a userprovides any PII to a service provider 108A-108N, the user also providesa signed descriptor of the PII that has been provided. The signeddescriptor is signed with the private key. As mentioned above, astandardized representation for signed descriptors is used so that thesame PII used by different organizations will have the same descriptors.The descriptor includes an identifier for the person (e.g., their publickey, or some other unique label) and a standardized description of thePII provided. The signing of the PII descriptor with the user's privatekey creates a token which can only be provided by the user. Thisprevents denial of service attacks where attackers falsely claim PII tohave been leaked.

The service provider 108A-108N securely stores both the PII and thesigned PII descriptor. As described above, in the event of a breach ofthe service provider, the service provider updates the PII registry 106with the signed descriptors of any users who had their PII breached.

If other service providers 108A-108N, upon checking the PII registry106, discover that any of their users have had their PII breached, thenthey will activate their own internal process. For example, the serviceprovider may immediately make the breached PII invalid for use withauthentication. Additionally or alternatively, the service provider maycontact the user to ask them to provide new PII (e.g., if the user'sright index fingerprint was breached, they may ask for the print ofanother finger). Because the user may have provided different subsets ofPII to different service providers, it is possible that only a subset ofthe breached PII is being used by other service providers.

If a non-breached service provider holds a sufficient amount ofnon-breached PII for a user to still securely authenticate, theadditional PII may be provided by the user through an online system,once the user has authenticated. However, if a non-breached serviceprovider holds an insufficient amount of non-breached PII to securelyauthenticate the user, then another procedure may need to be invoked.For example, the user may be required to visit the service provider inperson with official identification documentation and then update theirPII.

Users may also write to the PII registry 106 directly. If a usersuspects that any of their PII has been breached, they may write thesigned descriptors of the corresponding PII to the PII registry 106. Asdescribed above, the signed descriptors can only be generated withpossession of the private key. This means only service providers whichhave been given the signed descriptors, the user, or an attacker who hasobtained a stolen copy of either the signed descriptors or the user'sprivate key (i.e., there has been a breach) may update the list ofbreached PII in the PII registry 106 for a particular user.

The user's private key needs to be stored securely. If the private keyis stolen, then an attacker may update the PII registry 106 to list allof the user's PII as breached, thereby denying that user access to anyservices where the user uses PII for authentication. When a user'sprivate key is stolen, the user may write a special “private key breach”message to the PII registry 106. The private key breach message shouldinclude the user's public key and be signed with the user's private key.Once a private key breach message is written to the PII registry 106,then the user's public key becomes completely invalid. The user thenneeds to relink or associate the user's identity to a new public-privatekey pair. Any of the user's PII which was actually breached (as opposedto signed descriptors of PII not actually breached but written to theregistry with the stolen key) should have new signed descriptors writtento the PII registry 106 signed with the new private key.

For enhanced security against the user's private key being stolen, insome embodiments, the user's private key is stored in an electronic keyfob. In this way, the private key is stored in a secure hardware device(i.e., the key fob). Signing can be accomplished using the key fob andthe private key never leaves the key fob. In some embodiments, clienttools are provided for desktop, laptop, and mobile devices that allowsigned descriptors to be generated by the user in a user-friendly andintuitive way, making the private-public key cryptography transparent tothe user.

In some embodiments, the PII registry system 100 is not reliant on thebreached service provider to update the PII registry 106. Rather, if theuser suspects PII has been breached, the user may update the PIIregistry 106. Similarly, another service provider can update the PIIregistry 106 if it suspects PII has been breached at another serviceprovider. The only requirement to update the PII registry 106 is to havea signed descriptor of the PII. Since the signed descriptor can only begenerated by the holder of the private key (which in most cases, is onlythe user), the only actors who should have a copy of the signeddescriptor is the user and service providers with whom the user hasshared PII. As can be appreciated, the signed descriptor should be keptsecurely by any entity that receives it and only after PII is breachedshould the signed descriptor become public (i.e., when it is written tothe PII registry 106).

In some embodiments, the service provider is required to include theiridentity so that the origin of the breach is known. In otherembodiments, the service provider may write to the PII registry 106anonymously to encourage disclosure of breaches without penalty to thebreached service provider.

In practice, and referring now to FIG. 2, John Doe 202 opens a bankaccount. He provides the bank 208 with PII (e.g., his left index fingerprint and his mother's maiden name) and signed descriptors 204 thatidentify the type of PII being provided. The bank 208 stores the PII andsigned descriptors 204 in a data store 210 and uses this information forauthentication processes.

Next, John Doe 202 opens an account with an online dating service 212.He provides the dating service 212 with PII (e.g., his mother's maidenname) and a signed descriptor 206 that identifies the type of PII beingprovided (note this is the same descriptor as sent to the bank). Thedating service 212 stores the PII and signed descriptor in a data store214 and may ask John Doe his mother's maiden name if he needs to recoverhis password.

Assume at some point, the online dating service 212 is breached and alluser account information is stolen by a malicious actor 216. The onlinedating service 212 updates the registry 218 with signed descriptors 220of all the PII (which includes the identifier described above) which wasbreached. In this example, the signed descriptor of John Doe's mother'smaiden name 220 is added to the registry 218. When the bank 208 updatesits copy of the registry, the bank 208 notices that John Doe's mother'smaiden name has been breached.

To prevent additional damage, the bank 208 executes its process forthird-party PII data breaches. John Doe's mother's maiden name isinvalidated by the bank 208 for authentication. The bank notifies JohnDoe that his security information needs to be updated. If the bank 208has sufficient non-breached PII for John Doe (e.g., John Doe'sfingerprint and password), the bank 208 may allow John Doe to providethose security credentials through the bank's online systems. If thereis insufficient non-breached security information to authenticate JohnDoe, John Doe may be asked to come into a branch to verify his identitywith physical documentation and to update his security credentials.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram is provided that illustrates amethod 300 for invalidating PII that has been breached, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. For instance, the method300 may be employed utilizing the PII registry system 100 of FIG. 1. Asshown at step 302, a first service provider receives personallyidentifiable information (PII) and corresponding signed descriptor froma user. The PII can be used by the first service provider to verify anidentity of the user. The signed descriptor describes the type of PII(e.g., fingerprint, mother's maiden name, birth date, etc.) that isreceived. Client tools are provided, in some embodiments, that generatesigned descriptors for the PII transparently to the user. Additionallyor alternatively, each signed descriptor can only be generated withpossession of a private key of the user.

At step 304, a PII registry (e.g., a synchronized blockchain registry)is queried to determine if the PII of the user has been breached. ThePII includes signed descriptors for a plurality of users from aplurality of service providers indicating PII that has been breached viaservices offered by the plurality of service providers. By relying onthe signed descriptors rather than the actual PII, the PII is notrevealed to the publicly available blockchain registry or thesynchronized blockchain registry.

In embodiments, a synchronized blockchain registry is utilized so thefirst service provider can avoid revealing details about the queries(i.e., which signed descriptors are provided by users of a serviceprovided by the first service provider). To do so, the synchronizedblockchain registry is synchronized with a publicly available blockchainregistry. In this way, each service provider can maintain its ownsynchronized blockchain registry. In some embodiments, the publiclyavailable blockchain registry includes an identification of a breachorigin. In other embodiments, the publicly available blockchain registryenables an identification of a breach origin to remain anonymous.

Upon determining the PII of the user has been breached, the PII isinvalided, at step 306, for the user. In some embodiments, the firstservice provider requests that the user provide new PII andcorresponding signed descriptor. For example, the new PII andcorresponding signed descriptor might be requested upon the userauthenticating with the first service provider using non-breached PII toverify the identity of the user. In another example, the new PII andcorresponding signed descriptor might be requested via communicationinitiated by the first service provider. In yet another example, the newPII and corresponding signed descriptor is requested via in personcommunication with the first service provider.

In some embodiments, the first service provider may query a synchronizedblockchain registry for a private key message. The private key messageis written to the publicly available blockchain registry by the userindicating that a private key of the user has been stolen. The privatekey message may include a public key of the user that has been signedwith a private key of the user. Upon identifying the private key messagefor the user, the first service provider may invalidate the public keyof the user. Additionally, the first service provider may request thatthe user associate a new public-private key pair with a useridentification.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram is provided that illustrates amethod 400 for utilizing a PII blockchain registry to identify PII thathas been breached, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. For instance, the method 400 may be employed utilizing thePII registry system 100 of FIG. 1. As shown at step 402, a serviceprovider subscribes to a publicly available blockchain registry. Thepublicly available blockchain registry includes signed descriptors for aplurality of users from a plurality of service providers. As describedabove, the signed descriptors describe the type of PII that may havebeen stolen from the plurality of service providers. By subscribing tothe publicly available blockchain registry, the subscribing serviceprovider can ensure that the same PII is not used for a service providedby the service provider (e.g., using the PII to verify the identity of auser).

A synchronized blockchain registry is synchronized, at step 404, withthe publicly available blockchain registry. The synchronization updatesthe synchronized blockchain registry to include updates provided by theplurality of service providers to the publicly available blockchainregistry. The updates identify signed descriptors for the plurality ofusers indicating PII corresponding to the signed descriptors that hasbeen breached for the plurality of users.

The service provider may query the synchronized blockchain registry todetermine if PII for the user of the service provider has been breached.To do so, the service provider may query the synchronized blockchainregistry to determine if a signed descriptor provided by the user to theservice provider has been written to the synchronized blockchainregistry. Upon determining PII for a user has been breached, the serviceprovider may request that the user provide new PII and correspondingsigned descriptors. As can be appreciated, this may prevent a maliciousactor from committing identity theft or fraud at a service provided bythe service provider for the affected user.

Having described embodiments of the present disclosure, an exemplaryoperating environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure maybe implemented is described below in order to provide a general contextfor various aspects of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5 inparticular, an exemplary operating environment for implementingembodiments of the present disclosure is shown and designated generallyas computing device 500. Computing device 500 is but one example of asuitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the inventiveembodiments. Neither should the computing device 500 be interpreted ashaving any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combinationof components illustrated.

The inventive embodiments may be described in the general context ofcomputer code or machine-useable instructions, includingcomputer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executedby a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant orother handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., refer to code thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.The inventive embodiments may be practiced in a variety of systemconfigurations, including handheld devices, consumer electronics,general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. Theinventive embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices thatare linked through a communications network.

With reference to FIG. 5, computing device 500 includes a bus 510 thatdirectly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 512, one ormore processors 514, one or more presentation components 516,input/output (I/O) ports 518, input/output (I/O) components 520, and anillustrative power supply 522. Bus 510 represents what may be one ormore busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof).Although the various blocks of FIG. 5 are shown with lines for the sakeof clarity, in reality, delineating various components is not so clear,and metaphorically, the lines would more accurately be grey and fuzzy.For example, one may consider a presentation component such as a displaydevice to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory. Theinventors recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiteratethat the diagram of FIG. 5 is merely illustrative of an exemplarycomputing device that can be used in connection with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure. Distinction is not made betweensuch categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “handheld device,”etc., as all are contemplated within the scope of FIG. 5 and referenceto “computing device.”

Computing device 500 typically includes a variety of computer-readablemedia. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can beaccessed by computing device 500 and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computerstorage media and communication media. Computer storage media includesboth volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information suchas computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM,ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by computing device 500. Computer storagemedia does not comprise signals per se. Communication media typicallyembodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Memory 512 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatileand/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, non-removable,or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-statememory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 500includes one or more processors that read data from various entitiessuch as memory 512 or I/O components 520. Presentation component(s) 516present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplarypresentation components include a display device, speaker, printingcomponent, vibrating component, etc.

I/O ports 518 allow computing device 500 to be logically coupled toother devices including I/O components 520, some of which may be builtin. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad,satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc. The I/Ocomponents 520 may provide a natural user interface (NUI) that processesair gestures, voice, or other physiological inputs generated by a user.In some instances, inputs may be transmitted to an appropriate networkelement for further processing. A NUI may implement any combination ofspeech recognition, touch and stylus recognition, facial recognition,biometric recognition, gesture recognition both on screen and adjacentto the screen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, and touchrecognition associated with displays on the computing device 500. Thecomputing device 500 may be equipped with depth cameras, such asstereoscopic camera systems, infrared camera systems, RGB camerasystems, and combinations of these, for gesture detection andrecognition. Additionally, the computing device 500 may be equipped withaccelerometers or gyroscopes that enable detection of motion. The outputof the accelerometers or gyroscopes may be provided to the display ofthe computing device 500 to render immersive augmented reality orvirtual reality.

As can be understood, embodiments of the present disclosure provide foran objective approach for utilizing a PII blockchain registry toidentify PII that has been breached. The present disclosure has beendescribed in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended inall respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternativeembodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artto which the present disclosure pertains without departing from itsscope.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this disclosure is one welladapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, togetherwith other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system andmethod. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinationsare of utility and may be employed without reference to other featuresand subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope ofthe claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer storage medium storingcomputer-useable instructions that, when used by a computing device,causes the computing device to perform operations, the operationscomprising: receiving, at a first service provider, personallyidentifiable information (PII) and corresponding signed descriptor froma user, the PII being used by the first service provider to verify anidentity of the user; querying a synchronized blockchain registry todetermine if the PII of the user has been breached, the synchronizedblockchain registry including signed descriptors for a plurality ofusers from a plurality of service providers indicating PII that has beenbreached via services offered by the plurality of service providers; andupon determining the PII of the user has been breached, invalidating thePII for the user.
 2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, furthercomprising requesting the user to provide new PII and correspondingsigned descriptor.
 3. The computer storage medium of claim 2, whereinthe new PII and corresponding signed descriptor is requested upon theuser authenticating with the first service provider using non-breachedPII to verify the identity of the user.
 4. The computer storage mediumof claim 2, wherein the new PII and corresponding signed descriptor isrequested via communication initiated by the first service provider. 5.The computer storage medium of claim 2, wherein the new PII andcorresponding signed descriptor is requested via in-person communicationwith the first service provider.
 6. The computer storage medium of claim1, further comprising synchronizing the synchronized blockchain registrywith a publicly available blockchain registry.
 7. The computer storagemedium of claim 1, further comprising querying the synchronizedblockchain registry for a private key message, the private key messagebeing written to a publicly available blockchain registry by the userindicating that a private key of the user has been stolen.
 8. Thecomputer storage medium of claim 7, wherein the private key messageincludes a public key of the user that has been signed with a privatekey of the user.
 9. The computer storage medium of claim 7, furthercomprising, upon identifying the private key message for the user,invalidating a public key of the user.
 10. The computer storage mediumof claim 9, further comprising requesting the user to associate a useridentification with a new public-private key pair.
 11. The computerstorage medium of claim 6, wherein the publicly available blockchainregistry includes an identification of a breach origin.
 12. The computerstorage medium of claim 6, wherein the publicly available blockchainregistry enables an identification of a breach origin to remainanonymous.
 13. The computer storage medium of claim 5, furthercomprising providing client tools that generate signed descriptors forthe PII transparently to the user.
 14. The computer storage medium ofclaim 13, wherein each signed descriptor can only be generated withpossession of a private key of the user.
 15. A computer-implementedmethod comprising: subscribing, by a service provider, to a publiclyavailable blockchain registry, the publicly available blockchainregistry including signed descriptors for a plurality of users from aplurality of service providers; and synchronizing a synchronizedblockchain registry with the publicly available blockchain registry, thesynchronizing updating the synchronized blockchain registry to includeupdates provided by the plurality of service providers to the publiclyavailable blockchain registry, the updates identifying signeddescriptors for the plurality of users indicating personallyidentifiable information (PII) corresponding to the signed descriptorsthat has been breached for the plurality of users.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising querying the synchronized blockchainregistry to determine if PII for the user of the service provider hasbeen breached.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the querying includesdetermining if a signed descriptor provided by the user to the serviceprovider has been written to the synchronized blockchain registry. 18.The method of claim 16, further comprising, upon determining PII for auser has been breached, requesting the user to provide new PII andcorresponding signed descriptors.
 19. The method of claim 15, whereinthe PII is used by the service provider to verify an identity of theuser.
 20. A computerized system comprising: a processor; and computerstorage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used bythe processor, cause the processor to: subscribe, by a service provider,to a publicly available blockchain registry, the publicly availableblockchain registry including signed descriptors for a plurality ofusers from a plurality of service providers; synchronize a synchronizedblockchain registry with the publicly available blockchain registry toupdate the synchronized blockchain registry to include updates providedby the plurality of service providers to the publicly availableblockchain registry, the updates identifying signed descriptors for theplurality of users indicating personally identifiable information (PII)corresponding to the signed descriptors that has been breached for theplurality of users; query the synchronized blockchain registry todetermine if PII for a user of the service provider has been breached;and upon determining PII for a user has been breached, request that theuser provide new PII and corresponding signed descriptors.